by Cat Miller
The elevator doors slid open, and she stepped out into the pit of Hell. It seemed like everyone at the tables near the door turned to stare at her. She’d forgotten how few women she’d seen in the pit. The massive guard standing by the door held his hand out for her card. She passed it over, and he quickly scanned it through his tablet and gave it back. He raised an eyebrow at her.
“Welcome to Hell, Ms. Parker. If you need anything at all, please let one of the waitresses know. You have full access to every level of Hell. Enjoy.”
* * *
Luc stared at the screen of his computer without actually seeing the words of the document he was reviewing. It was the third time he’d tried to read the damn thing, but he couldn’t absorb the text. He’d been this way for two days. Ever since he’d left Everly in her bed after sinking himself into her lush heat in the hall between their suites.
Get your shit together!
He mentally scolded himself. He needed to finish this up so he could meet Cammie. He had a date he’d nearly forgotten about. Cammie was coming into town tonight. She’d called him two weeks ago to set up a rendezvous. He’d met her a few years ago when she came to Vegas on a business trip with her father. Whenever they were in town, she gives Luc a call. It was the kind of relationship Luc enjoyed. She showed up every few months, he fucked her senseless, and she left. She was the perfect woman. She was gorgeous, smart, willing, and she wasn’t interested in any attachments.
Luc focused on the computer again. Cammie was just what he needed right now. He’d fuck some of his frustration out of his system with a woman who didn’t make him feel like his father reincarnated. He refused to be that kind of man. He still hadn’t figured out Everly’s angle yet either. He had his private investigator looking into her past specifically. There was some reason she’d agreed to his insane wager, and Luc would find out what that reason was.
He hadn’t slept well in days. Having Everly right down the hall and at his disposal was making him crazy. He would have been fine if he hadn’t had a taste of her sweetness. Everly was lush and tempting. The thought of her spread out before him, all wet and wanting, had him hard again. Fuck!
Luc distractedly answered a call from Rourke on his cell. “Yeah.”
“We have a situation in the Capone room. I’m on the way but you might want to have a look at the security feed.” Luc could tell Rourke was running as he spoke.
“Why does a security matter need my attention, Rourke? Handle it.”
Luc didn’t have the patience to deal with wealthy drunks or smooth the rustled feathers of an offended female member. He would occasionally step in to deal with his high rollers, but tonight he was having his own issues. Rourke could handle it.
The Capone room was for high rollers who wanted to play high stakes games in a comfortable atmosphere. It was a masculine setting reminiscent of a speakeasy. The waitresses dressed like flappers. It was a nice oasis away from the glitz and glam of Vegas.
“Yes, sir. I just thought you might want to know because Everly is involved.”
“What? Why the fuck is Everly in Hell?”
He quickly pulled up the feed for that room and stared dumbfounded. Everly was backed into a corner while four men argued and jostled each other. She looked frightened and confused. She was saying something to the men, but no one was listening. She tried to slide along the wall past the men –two of whom were extremely successful and competitive businessmen he frequently had trouble with– but the third man pushed her back into the corner and stood in front of her as if staking a claim. The fourth man threw the first punch while Luc watched, and the room exploded into chaos. Players from others tables got involved and furniture began to fly.
“It’s an all-out brawl. Call for back up. I’m on the way.” He disconnected the call and sprinted down the corridor.
The Capone room was on the opposite side of the building. He rushed through several other bars and card rooms drawing the attention of patrons and employees as he ran from one security door to the next. When he finally burst through the back door to the Capone room he scanned the area for Everly. She was still in her corner, blocked from escape by toppled furniture and fighting men. She cowered in a frothy little dress that barely covered her shapely thighs. Luc waded through the spectators placing bets on the fight.
“Damn, Luc, if you’re going to put a pretty piece like that in the pot, you’ll need better security in here. They’re fighting like dogs over a bone,” one of his regular patrons said as he pushed by.
“Excuse me?” Luc spun around. What exactly was happening here?
“Your new girl is a real good actress. It’s a very nice touch. I kind of wish I hadn’t already been in the middle of a game when she wandered in. I would have played hard for a slice of that pie.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Luc was getting angry. He was beginning to understand the root of the problem. Everly. She’d started all this mess.
“They were playing for the girl, right? We all thought it was a new perk in the Capone room. You know, a little something extra for the big spenders? Winner gets the girl. There are never any women in here except for the waitresses.” The guy blanched at Luc’s murderous expression.
Luc spun around to fight his way over to Everly, but Rourke and several other members of the security team were separating the combatants. Everly scurried out of the corner and stood behind the bar. He kicked broken furniture out of the way and grabbed the asshole who had trapped her in the corner. He punched the son of a bitch, flattening his ass.
“You’re out! Expelled! You never, ever, put your hands on a woman in my fucking house who doesn’t invite it!” he snarled at the bleeding man. “I’ll be taking the expense for the damages out of your winnings.” He pointed to each of the other men who’d been fighting over Everly.
“He fucking cheated Luc! He was counting cards! I should have the pot! The girl, too!” One of the other men shouted and glared at the man Luc had decked.
“She was not part of the fucking pot! She’s new!” Luc roared. He didn’t specify whether she was a new waitress, dancer, or member. It didn’t matter. A woman shouldn’t have to fear being assaulted in his club. “What the hell made you think she was part of the pot?”
The four men all looked sheepishly at her hiding behind the bar. It was dawning on them that she wasn’t part of the entertainment.
“All I said was I wanted to play, but I didn’t know how, and I didn’t have any chips. I asked if they could teach me. I thought we were just having fun. We weren’t playing for money or anything.” She looked stunned and embarrassed.
After sorting out the misunderstanding in the Capone room, Luc grabbed Everly’s wrist and dragged her out from behind the bar. He walked swiftly back in silence through the rooms he’d traversed to reach Everly. He was so angry with her. What the fuck did she think she was doing traipsing around his club in that little confection of a dress? Who the hell let her in?
He was going to release a little of his rage on her ass, literally. Then he was going to go start firing people. She had no business in the club. She wasn’t a member. The woman was pure enticement out there among those wealthy bastards who were used to getting whatever they wanted, for a price. What had she been thinking? His blood was pounding in his ears. She could have been hurt in that fight. He needed to calm down before they reached her room.
“Why are you angry with me?” she hissed behind him when they reached the security hall that led to his office and private elevator. “I didn’t do a damn thing wrong.” She tried to twist out of his grip.
Luc flattened her against the wall with his big body. She was a little thing in comparison. Her mouth was an angry line he wanted to kiss. Her hair was a wild, red mass of curling tendrils he wanted run his hands through. Those stormy, grey-green eyes glared up at him in challenge. Fuck! His dick was getting hard! He was going to spank that defiant look right off of her pretty little face.
“You will shut that p
retty little mouth of yours or I will stuff something in it right here in the hall.” He pressed his rapidly stiffening dick against her belly so there would be no misunderstanding to his meaning.
Her mouth fell open. Damn. Now he was imagining filling that hot mouth. He wanted to see those shiny pink lips wrapped around his dick, sucking and licking. He shook his head. He couldn’t even be near the woman, much less touching her like this without his cock taking over all brain function.
“Who let you get into the club, Everly? I want a name.” They would be fired by the end of the night. He bet she’d batted those long lashes and flashed those sexy fucking legs at some poor bastard, and he’d let her pass. When had her legs gotten so damn long anyway?
“I used my key card, you jerk! Now let me go. You’re being a bully!” she shouted in his face and struggled in his arms. He closed his eyes and counted to five. Okay, so he’d neglected to restrict her access. That could be remedied. No one had willfully disobeyed him. No one had allowed a non-member to enter his haven, he reasoned with himself. It wasn’t helping. He still needed to paddle her ass. It was that or go start a fight. Maybe he could catch up with the fucker who’d put his hands on her in the Capone room.
“I asked you to let me go.” She wiggled against him.
Luc backed up but kept a hold on her wrist. He tugged her toward the elevator. He pulled her arm up so her little handbag touched the security pad. The doors slid open. Sure enough, she had access to every floor, even Hell. That would be corrected immediately.
He pulled Everly into the elevator and hit the button to the penthouse. As the vehicle began its climb, Luc crowded Everly, backing her into the corner. He couldn’t keep his hands off her. She gasped but didn’t push him away.
“Did you enjoy being in the pot again? Do you do this kind of thing often? Is this your game? Getting men to spend a fortune at the tables to have you?” Yes, he was being an unreasonable asshole. Damn it! He was fucking jealous of every man who had a piece of her time that night! She was his! Her time belonged to him! Her hot little body belonged to him!
“How dare you blame me?” she hissed in his face. “I had no idea. I was only playing for fun. It’s not my fault Hell is full of criminals who think they can buy any woman they see. I was only playing a game, and I wasn’t even gambling. There was no money involved at all. They said . . . They didn’t tell me . . .” She was sputtering. He’d offended her.
“You put yourself in danger. You caused damage in my club,” he accused.
“I did no such thing!”
He continued speaking over her. “You went out in this little purple nothing of a dress to allure other men.” That was also unreasonable. The modern man in him knew damn well a woman should be able to wear anything or nothing at all and still be safe. It didn’t mean she was trying to pick up men. His inner caveman told his inner modern man to fuck off, because he was going to spank his woman. Then he was going to fuck her so she knew who she belonged to.
“Why do you care, Luc? I’m nothing to you. You admitted to avoiding me. You had your fuck against a wall. So what if I was out for a good time? You don’t want to spend time with me.” The elevator doors slid open, and Everly ducked under his arm.
Luc blinked. She wasn’t his woman. She wasn’t going to be his woman. She was right. Why the fuck did he care? He didn’t know why. But he did care. He cared a whole hell of a lot. He saw her cowering in the corner on the video feed. He saw that fucker touch her. He pushed her back into the corner, and Everly had wobbled on those sky high heels. Right then, something inside of him snapped. He saw red. Someone had touched what was his, and it was her fault for tempting them. Who wore heels like that if they didn’t want to entice a man, the caveman wanted to know.
Luc stalked after Everly and pushed into her suite before the door closed.
She spun around. “Get out!”
Now that he had her alone, he was calming down. He was going to give her the punishment she so richly deserved for making him act like a fucking mad man. He was going to spank her ass, and she was going to like it. He could tell. He bet she’d never been spanked before, not even by her parents. She would balk at the idea. But she would take her punishment and enjoy it. Luc hadn’t done this in a long time. He’d had a bed partner once who enjoyed submissive play. It wasn’t something he’d ever needed, but tonight he needed it. He needed her to submit to him. He had to work off some of this tension.
“I’m going to the bedroom. You’re going to follow me. I’m going to give you the punishment you’ve earned. Then I’m going to fuck you until I feel better. Do you understand?”
Her mouth fell open. She didn’t look horrified. Just surprised. She didn’t run screaming. Luc turned and walked slowly down the hall to her bedroom. She followed at an even slower pace, but she followed. Luc was feeling better already. Now he just needed to appease the snarling caveman. Then he could get back to work.
EIGHT
“Get over here, Everly. It’s time to accept your punishment.”
Luc watched her stonily from his position on the bed. He was serious. He expected her to submit to a spanking. A real fucking spanking. She hadn’t been spanked since she was eight years old when she opened the gate to Tabasco, the bull’s pen. She’d seen something about the running of the bulls on television and decided he would be happier if could run free. He’d almost killed her that day. Thankfully, a cowboy with a horse faster than Tabasco snatched her up before she was trampled. Her daddy had tanned her hide real good that day. Her mom had wavered between yelling at her and crying all evening.
“Why are you still standing there, Everly? I gave you an order.”
“I’m not the submissive type, Lucifer.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
Luc’s nostrils flared and the muscles in his arms flexed. This was the first time she’d seen him without a shirt on. He had a deep tan with just a sprinkling of hair. She was staring at his body unrepentantly. The man looked as if he may have actually made a deal with the devil in exchange for his perfection. Tightly corded muscles marched up his abdomen to meet the pecs she’d love to rest her head on after he fucked her to exhaustion. Not that he’d held her last time. A girl could fantasize though. She couldn’t forget how good it felt to be pressed against all that hot, hard muscle. She wanted to feel it again. She just wasn’t sure she wanted it enough to take a spanking.
“You’ve earned five extra lashes with that last jab at my name. Perhaps you misunderstood the terms of our wager. No matter. You will comply. If you make me come after you, there will be an additional ten lashes. I’m done waiting for you. Get that ass over here. Now.”
Everly contemplated her options. She could run, but he would catch her. She could default on the wager, but she wouldn’t. It meant too much to her family. Or she could stop acting like a frightened child and go take her punishment. Not that she’d done anything wrong. She’d show him he couldn’t break her. It would hurt, sure, but plenty of people got off on this stuff. How bad could it really be?
She put a little sway in her hips as she crossed to stand beside him. His eyes followed her every move. She started to kick off her heels.
“Leave the shoes on. Bend over my lap, Everly. Chest on the bed. Feet spread apart.”
Anxiously, she did as instructed. Her belly was in knots. As she was sprawled over his lap with her chest on the bed and her head resting on her arms, Everly prayed her fear was worse than the punishment would be.
“You’re being punished for endangering yourself in the pit.”
“I was only learning to play poker. That’s not dangerous,” she argued.
Luc slid her little skirt up over her ass. He rubbed a big hand over each of her ass cheeks. Then he slid her thong down over her hips.
“Stop contradicting yourself, Everly. You said Hell was full of criminals when you came here. Tonight you think it isn’t dangerous? You talk about prostitutes running free in the club, but you think it’s just fine to run am
ongst the criminals looking like a treat ready to be devoured. Were you trying to get picked up?”
“No! I was just bored! I didn’t think it would hurt to explore a little.”
Did he really think she looked like a treat? She flushed with pleasure over the comment and wriggled under his hand. He was massaging her ass and getting very close to where she wanted him.
Without warning Luc’s hand came down hard on her tender bottom. She shrieked and all of her warmth toward him fled. She tried to get away, but he held her in place with an arm over her back.
“Your excuse is weak, and I won’t have it.” His hand came down on her other cheek. She shrieked again.
“Get off of me, you bully!”
“You’re mine and mine alone, Everly. You will not invite other males to enjoy your charms.” His hand came down in a different spot. She jumped. It stung, but the sharp pain from the other strikes spread across her ass changing to a warm hum under her skin. He hit her again, and she grit her teeth.
Was he crazy? She hadn’t been offering herself to anyone. She didn’t mind the attention of so many attentive, and frankly, attractive gentlemen, but she hadn’t meant to invite anyone to anything. Not really. Maybe being ignored by Luc was annoying her, sure, and okay, maybe she wanted to show him she was desirable. The more she thought about it, the more she could see how it might have looked to Luc.
Luc’s blows came hard and steady. He would strike her and rub the sting away. Strike her in a different spot and rub it soothingly.
“I’m gonna fuck you hard when I’m done here, Everly,” he told her in a strained voice.
His strikes were coming lower on her ass now. The heat and reverberation from each hit was a shot of desire straight to her pussy. Fuck, she was getting hot. Everly twisted her fists in the sheets until her fingers were bloodless. She wanted him to fuck her. She wanted him to fuck her hard and fast. Her clit pulsed. Moisture slicked her thighs. She was embarrassed to be enjoying this but too fucking hot to care at the moment.